Inlays and Onlays

For decades, patients have had two main dental restorations: fillings and crowns. Fillings were used for cavities and small cracks and chips, and crowns were designed to cover the entire tooth and allow patients to retain healthy, natural dental structure. However, placing a dental crown may require the removal of large amounts of healthy tooth structure. Inlays and onlays are the “happy medium” between filings and crowns. Inlays fill in decay or damage between the cusps (the elevated parts of a tooth’s biting surface), while onlays cover or restore one or more cusps.